Lionel Luthor

Lionel Luthor is a fictional character in the television series Smallville, portrayed continuously by John Glover. Initially a recurring guest in season one, the character became a series regular in season two and continued with that status until he was written out of the show in the seventh season. In Smallville, Lionel Luthor is the father of Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum) and founder and CEO of LuthorCorp. Although the character of Lex Luthor's father was first introduced in Superman comics by Jerry Siegel in 1961 and has since appeared in other Superman-related media under different names, Smallville represents the first time the character has become an intricate part of a Superman adaptation. Series developers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar created the character for Smallville to provide an antithesis to the parenting style of Jonathan Kent and Martha Kent.

During the course of Smallville's run, Lionel Luthor evolves from a nemesis of Clark Kent (Tom Welling) who develops multiple schemes directed at uncovering Kent's secrets to an ally who eventually gives his life to protect Clark's secret from Lex. He also carries a strained relationship with his son, whom he sees as weak, and tries to test on a regular basis. He also attempts to develop a romantic relationship with Martha Kent (Annette O'Toole), following the death of Jonathan Kent (John Schneider), assisting her in her advancement toward the United States Senate.

Lionel's development from a main antagonist to ally was one that was difficult for the writers, who felt the character's arc failed to achieve the status they were looking for. Although they continued with the story arc, Lionel returned to using deceptive actions, only this time it was to protect Clark. He is characterized as being a sinister character, who will do what he can to further his own ambitions. Lionel's relationship with his son has been likened to that of Harry Osborn and Norman Osborn from Spider-Man comics.